Cayuga Economic Development Agency to use federal funding to buy equipment for leasing to Cato business

CATO, N.Y. — The Cayuga Economic Development Agency will use more than $79,000 in federal funding to purchase grain drying and cleaning equipment and lease it to Preferred Quality Grain in the town of Cato.

The funding will help create two new jobs, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) said in a Monday news release.

The demand for organic grains produced in this region is “rapidly expanding,” and the equipment will help remove the weed seeds and other dockage components that “harm the products’ marketability,” per the release. Dockage is waste material in wheat and other grains.

The investment will benefit growers of wheat for flour milling, food-grade soybeans, and malting barley for the New York brewers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Business Development grant program provided the funding, the lawmakers said.

It’s a competitive grant program that works to support technical assistance, training, and other activities that lead to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses.

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